Here we are ! Just back home again on June 19th ! We had a great and unforgettable trip ! Our mind and heart are still there among wildlife.
I wish to thank all of you for your great support and suggestions in preparing this trip. I did not use any travel agent as I usually contact airlines, car rental companies and lodges directly This gives me more fun. This area is very easy for self-making arrangements. I fixed everything only at the end of April this year so we were very lucky to find what we were looking for !
My 12 years old son took care of making most of the 3 hours video, while I did the pictures. My wife and our younger 6 years old daughter did not join us this time but went for a 4 days trip to Parisand Disneyland instead. The whole family trip is planned for this august. We visited Etosha National Park in Namibia last year in June and already saw a lot of wildlife, but buffalo and leopard were missing. This is the target of this trip, in the hope to complete the BIG FIVE list ! We spent a total of 8 nights and 9 days in the area with following itinerary:

1 night in Nelspruit – Mercure Hotel
2 nights in Kruger Park – Satara Camp
4 nights in Sabi Sands Game Reserve, 2 nights at Mala Mala main camp and 2 nights at Inyati lodge, 4 game drives at each lodge
1 night again in Kruger Park – Lower Sabie Camp

June 10th Johannesburg – Blyde River Canyon – Nelspruit
The early arrival at 6am of our intercontinental flight and the lack of jet-leg with central Europe in June allowed us more time to start our long drive in a relatively “good” shape.
It was nice to find out that National Car Rental had upgraded our car from group B (Opel Corsa without a/c) into group L (Nissan Tiida with a/c, larger size and more comfortable).
We left the airport at 7.15am. N12 and N4 eastbound are very boring for the first 200-250 km as we just see flat land, then up north to the Drakensberg Mountains ad to the small town of Sabie for a lunch stop. Then further north to the first of our 3 stops: God’s Window. From the highveld we can have a very nice view of the rest of the escarpment. Next stop is at Bourke’s Luck water eroded Potholes. The last stop at Blyde River Canyon. The lookout point is very impressive and one of the most scenic in Africa. The surrounding rocks of the canyon have different colours, from yellow to orange ! We can see the Three Rondavels in front, down the river and further to east the lowveld. We are very excited to know than the next day we will be there, in the lowveld of Kruger Park ! Blyde River Canyon is the third largest after the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Fish River Canyon in Namibia.
For the beauty of these 3 stops I would put them in the exact opposite order than visited: first Blyde River Canyon, then the Potholes, then God’s Window. Soon is dark and no time left for other attractions like some falls, caves and the gold mining old village of Pilgrim’s Rest. We go back southbound and overnight in Nelspruit.

June 11th Nelspruit – Kruger Park (Satara Camp)

Wake up at 4.30am, left the hotel at 5.20 and arrived at Kruger’s Malelane gate at 6.10. While filling in the entry permit form, still outside the park, we see a hippo running away along the road. We think it has escaped from the park !! We enter the park and take the S25 gravel road eastbound towards Crocodile Bridge camp. After just half an hour we see our first large white rhino along the road eating some grass. It is very impressive how close it is to our car ! The scenery is very nice and many hills around, up and down ! Just before Crocodile Bridge we go to Hippo Pool. An armed ranger takes us walking closer to the group of 7 sleeping hippos ! We drive then further to Satara Camp via S28, Lower Sabie camp (lunch stop), then H-10 to Orpen Dam with a very beautiful view from above to the river and Tshokwane picnic spot and H 1-3 road. We take the S86 loop and see other 2 rhinos at a waterhole. We arrive at Satara just in time before gate’s closure at 5.30pm !

June 12th Kruger Park (around Satara Camp)

We start our drive at 6am. My son does not want to waste any time for wildlife viewing !
We go west on H-7 until we reach the junction with S39 northbound, the famous Timbavati Road, along the Timbavati River. We expect to see predators in this area but nothing happens until we reach Ratelpan waterhole ! We see 4 lions there, 1 adult male 1 female and 2 younger male ! My son had started to be a bit demotivated but, as usual, the event always occurs when unexpected ! We then go north up to Olifants River. Almost 7/8 cars have stopped on the bridge and people got out of their car !! There are several elephants down on the riverbed, but also 2 lionesses moving around along the left side of the river ! We spend some time there but then it is time to go back on the main road H 1-4 to Satara camp for lunch. In the afternoon we do the eastbound drive on S100, then south on S41 towards Singita Lebombo and Nwantesi picnic spot, again with a great view of the park. We come back to Satara via H6 and the main road. After having already driven a lot from the beginning of our trip it is now a good choice having booked a night guided drive from Satara Park and let the driver take us around, from 8 to 10pm !! My son is sitting behind the driver and receives one of those spotlights to use ! Instructions are: whenever you see some eyes in the dark just say: STOP !! My son did it twice and found a large-spotted genet and a serval ! He is very proud of his sightings ! We also saw a wild cat and a very small mouse !
In these first 2 days in Kruger Park we also saw a lot of other wildlife… zebras, giraffes, crocodiles, impalas, kudus, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, waterbucks, steenboks, lilacbreasted rollers, vultures. It is very impressive how my son get excited and take videos of everything !!

June 13th Kruger Park (Satara Camp) to Sabi Sands (Mala Mala main camp lodge)

This is a really incredible day !
Left Satara Camp at 6am southbound on the main road H 1-3 towards Skukuza, Paul Kruger gate and then Mala Mala !!
At 7am we see a male lion, 2 lionesses and 2 younger lions sitting and playing on the tar road in front of our car !!! The heart starts beating very fast. They have blocked the road !! Ther are other cars stopped beyond them but we are the first car in front of them !! We cannot believe it !!! They stay there for some minutes, then, when other cars arrive behind us they move on the bush but keep walking along the road in the same direction of our car at a short distance !! We go further and stop many times for pictures and videos, until they disappear somewhere in the deeper bush. In the meantime we had spotted another male lion off the road very close to the others ! What a sighting and emotion !
We go further south. My intention was to make the short S86 loop but for some reasons I missed the first sign to turn right and instead get the second one, so we had to backtrack northbound a little bit !! Well, this has been the most rewarding event of the entire trip !! At 8.10am an adult male LEOPARD crossed our road and kept walking on the bush very close to our car !! Unbelievable !! A leopard at Kruger Park !!! I have never seen my son so happy !! And this sighting was just only for us two !!! We were on a narrow and isolated gravel road, off the main road, nobody else than we !! What an excitement ! After about 10 minutes we lost the sighting but we were so happy !!!
10 minutes later we see a large dark shape in the bush. We think it is a rhino but then we realize it is a buffalo, our first buffalo !!
Another 15 minutes later a large white rhino blocks our road and stands in front of us looking at us doing nothing but fixing us without any other movement !! Another two rhinos join him in the centre of the road, all three in line and all looking at us!! I cannot turn the car back because the road is too narrow. I think the only thing I can do is wait there or driving back with the rear !! Are they going to charge us ?? Who knows ?? I do not drive back and start taking the video and pictures, instead. Something to show home, ( if we get back safely) !! After a while, thanks God they all move again into the bush eating their grass and we can drive forward !!! All these 3 sightings in the short S86 loop !! At 9.25 we stop at Tshokwane picnic spot. An elefant is very close to the picnic area and people are gathering close to him for pictures.
What else should I say ?? First time to Kruger Park for 4 days, on the third day saw ALL BIG FIVEs in less than 3 and half hours, while people regularely come to Kruger many times since many years and have never seen the leopard !! Is this the famous luck of first timers ?? On the way to Mala Mala I felt like drunk for all emotions I had in the morning !!
We arrived at Mala Mala for lunch. We got unit no. 26. It has not the panoramic river view but faces a little waterhole where a lot of different game comes to drink: nyalas, baboons and impalas !! My son is happy of that !! In the afternoon we had our first game drive with land rover in Sabi Sands. Our ranger is Dixon, a huge knowledge and experience of wildlife and very high driving skills, doing that job since 24 years all spent in Sabi Sands area ! Our tracker is John. I still do not know how they could spot 3 sleeping lions among the tall yellow grass after only 35 minutes drive !! Later we had also a sighting of 2 leopards, mother and young male adult and on the way back we also saw our first large spotted Hyaena !
This was absolutely our Glory Day, June 13th !! Who still says now that this is an unlucky number ??

June 14th Sabi Sands (Mala Mala lodge)

The highlight of the day was the sighting of the local community of 11 wild dogs in the southern part of the reserve, cubs born there a couple of months ago, if I am not wrong. They are in general very seldom seen in SSGR, so this is really a rewarding event !! We saw about 7 or 8 of them.
No other predators like lions or leopard seen in the whole day, but we saw a very beautiful rock monitor (varanus). After sunset it is incredible how John could spot a small camaleon on a tree while driving at a moderate speed with the only help of the spotlight !!! I still wonder how he could do it !!

June 15th Sabi Sands – from Mala Mala to Inyati lodge

The morning drive at Mala Mala gives us another sighting of 3 lions (1 male and 2 females), again sleeping in the grass.
We drive then from Mala Mala to Inyati. At Shaw gate we do not exit the reserve but turn right towards Exeter, Londolozi and Singita, so that we do not have to pay the entrance fee twice !! We then find the signs to Inyati, located on the western part of the reserve, still on the Sand River. The trip from Mala Mala takes about 1 hour !
We have our brunch and wait for 3.30pm where we have to meet with other guests for light snaks before starting our afternoon drive at around 4pm. Colen is our ranger and Nelson the tracker.
After only 10 minutes (incredible !!!) we have a sighting of 2 leopards, male and female. They are walking along the riverbed ! Later we also have other sightings of common wildlife and after sunset we have a lion sighting: 4 male lions at a short distance one to another ! They are sitting or lying but after a while they start a concert of loud roars !!! They call each other in the darkness. This lasts some moments and I can get the whole sound on my video !
We will be hearing several loud roaring choirs almost all night long from our room !!

June 16th Sabi Sands (Inyati lodge)

On the morning drive we see mom hyaena and two cubs, then another 2 lionesses sighting, 1 lioness and two cubs sighting and a leopard sighting ! We stop close to a group of elephants, adults and cubs. One of the adults tries to charge our car so we move away very quickly !
On the afternoon drive we see a large group of buffalos and then a group of 8 white rhinos, adults and cubs. They eat grass but are headed to a waterhole so we wait until they reach the water !! It is absolutely lovely and amazing to see those 8 rhinos drinking in line. With their reflection into the water it seems they are 16 !!

June 17th Sabi Sands – From Inyati lodge to Kruger Park, Lower Sabie camp

In the morning we have our 8th and last game drive in SSGR. We wish we could stay much much longer !!
Again a leopard sighting. It is a female cub about 1 year old. She Plays and stretches and it is so beautiful to watch ! Mom should be around but although we stay there for more than 20 minutes we do not see her ! We leave the place and go further until we stop for drinks.
One of the guest in the car realizes he has lost his camera, fallen down from the car somewhere before !! He asks the guide in case someone will find it in the next drives and days to consider that it is his camera. He does not want us all to backtrack for the camera and waste the rest of our last game drive but Colen insists so we do it. We go back for half an hour on roads and bush on the camera tracking !! Incredible but we find it !! Good for all the pictures he had taken in his trip !!
This event is not very relevant itself but THANKS to this, we then find ourselves driving on the sandy riverbed where mom lioness is watching her two cubs playing and jumping together !! This was absolutely the most touching sighting we ever had !! They are the same mom and two cubs of the day before.
Unfortunately it is now late, we have to go back to the lodge for brunch and check out !! We are really very sad for that, but everything, sooner or later, has to come to an end !!
At Inyati lodge they use to wash your car on the last day before departure. One of the lady let me notice that I have a FLAT TIRE !
It is good that we are still at the lodge and local peole do the repair for us, so we can leave safely with the new tire and the repaired spare tire !
We leave the camp’s gate and start driving towards the exit. My son and I do not say nothing at all. Our last image of SSGR we keep in our mind is that of those cubs playing together, the very last sighting we have had. Some tears come down below my sunglasses while driving away… !!

It is too hard leaving a place like that, going from Heaven to the airport and go home. ! That’s why I had booked an additional very last night into Kruger Park, so we drove again through Paul Kruger Gate to Lower Sabie camp. The remote hope that something might still be seen somewhere is enough to reduce our sadness. We stopped at that large waterhole close to the camp, and stayed there for an hour watching hippos and crocs actions, until 5.30pm when the camp gate closes and we have to be inside !

June 18th Kruger Park to Johannesburg airport and back home.

Also on the very last day we start our slow drive at 6am towards Crocodile Bridge gate. We see regular game, nothing compared to the previous days but still nice to see again before leaving. We exit the park at 10am and arrive at the airport at 3pm without stopping. Dropp off the car and spend the rest of the time at the Out of Sfrica shop in the airport, awaiting our 7.45pm return flight !!

Comparison Mala Mala vs. Inyati

As first timer in the area it was difficult to choose where to go, which lodge, how much to spend and how long to stay !! Our main target was to see the leopard and all reviews and comments said that Mala Mala and Londolozi were the places to go ! As budget and not luxury traveller, it was not easy to afford the DOUBLE cost of Mala Mala vs Inyati lodge, but we did so ! At the end at Mala Mala we have seen one third of what seen at Inyati:

Mala Mala: 4 game drives: 1 sighting of 2 leopards and 2 sightings of lions. The highlight was therefore not the leopard but wild dogs. 4 BIG FIVE. We did not see rhinos.
Inyati: 4 game drives: 4 leopard sightings (1 leopard sighting on each drive), 4 lions sightings. All BIG FIVE

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not giving negative feedback on Mala Mala but this was my experience and I cannot change it. Sometimes statistics do not apply and we can find ourselves among the minority, in either good or less good contests. However I am glad that I stayed at both lodges so that I can now compare. Mala Mala has definitely better accommodation and better food, although this was not our priority, but Inyati has better game drives schedule in local winter:
Mala Mala: wake up at 6.30, large american or continental buffet breakfast at 7am, leave for morning game drive not before 7.30 or 7.40am which I think it is definitely too late. Game is more active in the early morning. Return at around 11am. Lunch. Afternoon snaks/tea/coffee at 3pm and leave for game drive at 3.30pm, a bit too soon as still too hot, return at 6.30pm
Inyati: wake up at 5.30am, light snaks, tea and coffee at 6am, leave for game drive at 6.15 (very good) for approx 3 hours ! Brunch. Afternoon snaks/tea/coffee at 3.30pm, leave for afternoon drive at 3.45 until 7pm.
The only suggestion that I wrote in the feedback at Mala Mala was that morning drives should start earlier and afternoon drives a bit later.

At Mala Mala trackers seat on the last rear row of the car. At Inyati the tracker has an additional single seat on the front external left edge of the car.

It is completely true that game viewing is always unpredictable and does not consider how much you have paid ! Comparing the game viewing and spent money I would consider our experience as:

Extremely very very lucky at Kruger Park (ALL 5 BIG FIVEs seen !!)
Relatively “unlucky” at Mala Mala
Very lucky at Inyati

Next time, with the same money spent for 4 nights in SSGR I would go for 6 nights at Inyati or equivalent budget lodge in that area !!

The trip was fantastic: in total 8 leopards and more than 25 lions + lots of buffalos rhinos elephants and more……..
I will be soon preparing the next trip, somewhere in southern Africa. Our next target: cheetah !!!!!

Oooh ooh ooh Kruger report.
{Kavey settles in to read...}

Finished reading and wow, what wonderful sightings you had. Your Kruger ones of lions, leopard crossing the road and white rhino right on the road particularly amazed me.

Sounds like a magical first safari!

When's the next one? GRIN

thanks Fadio, fun to read, I could feel your excitement !!!!!!!!! We are going to Kruger in September, 4 nights, and hope to see as much as you did in just 2 nights. Inyati sounds good (especially at half the price as Mala), I'll have to look into it more. Thanks again

regards - tom

thanks Kavey for your nice words.

next african trip guess not before mid june 2008, as soon as school ends over here !
I am considering to make a research on the web and on this forum for Okavango/Chobe in Bots !!

thanks Tom

I really appreciated Inyati. On the cool early morning drives they also gave us hot water bottles to put on the belly, among the layers, and when you come back to the lodge and get off the car they await you there with hot tissues !

I think Inyati shares traversing rights with Leopard Hills, where I was a month ago. So, doesn't surprise me about all you saw. SSGR is rich in predators and all game.

What are you going to do with all your photos and videos? I'm starting to put mine on DVD so that any TV can play it, sort of a "this was my safari" show. (Not all of them of course, just about 30 mins worth of play time). I use a program called ProShow Gold and it is very easy to drag and drop still photos and videos into it. You can even edit the videos for where and when in it you want to start and stop. Plus for both videos and stills you can do color corrections, fades, zooms, add music voice over, lots more. Your son might get a kick out of putting something like that together that he can show at a friends house on their TV or at school. He would have to have basic computer skills but hardly more than using a mouse.

regards - tom

I am right now uploading pics on kodakgallery as I did last year for our Naibia trip.
yes, then we have also to edit the video, but our camcorder is right new, I just got it 3 weeks before the trip and this is our first digital camcorder so I and/or my son have to learn everything for editing. Some parts have to be cut as too long or a bit shaked when full 40x optical zoom was used. We had a tripod and did good but only when the car was now moving !!

..... "only when the car was not moving"

Tom

Inyati shares traversing rights with various lodges: we saw cars of Exeter, Savannah, Idube and Leopard Hills, so there were varoius radio contacts but to be honest the sightings spots were never too busy. Only two times there were already 2 cars and had to wait a bit. Mala Mala is much larger and less busy. By the other side it also takes more time to scan it !

GREAT report Fabio! Thanks for telling it! I'll be in Kruger for 8 nights in September-hope I have as good luck as you and your son! Am also going to MM, so hope I have better luck there than you!
Thanks again...please post your pics and video!

Two questions-what type accomodations did you have in Kruger and how were they? And how was the food around there? Thanks!

Hi matnikstym

Thanks for your comments !
At both Satara and Lower Sabie camp we booked through www.sanparks.org:

Satara: BG2 bungalow, independent rondavel, 2 single beds, aircon, communal kitchen, external fridge, no utensil, wc and shower. Rand 500.00

Lower Sabie: BG2U bungalow. The squared building hosts 2 bungalows, 2 single beds, aircon, communal kitchen, internal fridge, no utensils, perimeter, wc and shower. Rand 530.00

The unit at Satara was larger and better kept, although all units would need urgent refurbishment.
The one at Lower Sabie was even smaller and in worst conditions than the Satara one but costs 30.00 Rand more !
The negative impact coming from Mala Mala and Inyati to this unit was great, but, as said, room and food was not our priority. For what you pay there you cannot expect much more ! But we were fine with that and concentrated on game viewing !
Both camps have their buffet restaurant, price Rand 129 each. 2-3 kinds of local meat with side vegetables, salads, cheese, cakes. I would say we can survive !!
We used restaurants only at dinner as for breakfast and lunch we preferred to buy cakes, sanwiches and drinks the day before and driving around up to 10 hours per day !!!!

Thanks Fabio for the info. We'll be staying at 5 different camps in Kruger, 1 of those is Satara. Don't care much about the room, but I do need food! As long as it's edible I'll manage. Any elephant scares while driving around? That's my nightly nightmare!

What a great trip. Thanks for the report!

Despite all it is not uncommon that Satara and Lower Sabie are fully booked. I had to wait and see and make some changes until I got what I wanted on my dates. So people manage it somehow ! Same as for the food !

When one of the adult elephnt tried to charge our car we were in Sabi Sands with our ranger guide and someone was a bit nervous.
To be honest I was never scared by elephants while driving by myself in Kruger but I was for rhinos. I did not know that white rhinos usually do not charge, while black ones are more aggressive. I would suggest not to switch the engine off.
We were told that one time a selfdriver had to move back quickly. he had the engine off. He was probably too excited and turned the engine on but instead of setting the rear he wrongly set the 4th so the car did a move ahead and the engine was off again ! The elephant had stopped his charge but was very very close to the car !!!
Well, you never know with elephants but we had so much fun on this trip that I wish I would be there again right now with no scare at all !!
The fact that I am here now at 3am writing of Africa shows how I loved Kruger and SSGR !!

Enjoy your trip and please report once back !

I forgot to mention how beautiful the Milky Way and Southern Cross are, together with Venus, Jupiter, the scorpion and much more !!!

Hey Fabio!

Great to hear that you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful country! I am also glad to hear that you entered the right SSGR gate!LOL!

I am visiting Exeter Leadwood and Exeter Dulini in July. Did you see any Exeter vehicles?

You were very lucky to see the Big 5 in Kruger, in one mornings drive! The Satara area is renowned for its cat sightings. Did you know that the area between skukuza and lowersabie has one of the highest concentrations of leopards on earth. South Luangwa is probably no.1.

Great to hear that the Sand River cubs(lion cubs at Inyati) are doing well. Did you know that those 4 male lions are actually originally from Mala Mala? They are actually a coalition of 6 males.

Regards-JP

Hi JP

Thank you !!

Yes I saw some Exeter vehicles around Inyati.
I entered the right Shaw gate. After having paid the entrance fee I was a bit confused because all direction I had received and also published on the Mala Mala web told to go straight towards Rattrays and then proceed north to Mala Mala main camp.
At the gate, I saw the dtreight sign to Rattrays but also a left sign to Mala Mala 20,7km !!! So I was a bit confused. I went straight and ignored the Mala Mala sign. There are so two ways to reach Mala Mala main camp !!

Yes I have a Kruger guide book telling that the Skukuza to Lower Sabie is well known for the presence of those cats but we had probably been already enough lucky in the previous days and we did not see any predator on our last day. We looked at the sighing pinboard at Skukuza and Lower Sabie. People had seen also cheetas near both camps !! This is my next dream: seeing cheetah. I have been suggested to go to Phinda but I am not sure. It is fenced, maybe not the same fun !??
or probably to Botswana..... where would you go for cheetah ??

Fabio,

Phinda is a fabulous reserve! It is 21 000 ha big. If you go, you will very seldomly see a fence. Phinda is arguably the best reserve in South Africa for cheetahs sightings. IF you want to go to botswana Kwando, Selinda or Mombo is a must. Of the 3, kwando is the cheapest. Mombo is famous for its lion and cheetah sightings.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

JP

Fabio, thank you for the very interesting report. I also had quick success in Kruger, and easily found the Big 5 (the leopard was the most difficult, but I had an excellent sighting off the S-100 while staying at Satara).

Looking forward to your photos.

Michael

Fabio

Loved your trip report--so detailed and complete, and I'm glad you had such fabulous game viewing. Now I am eagerly awaiting your pictures, but I have already seen them in my mind from your beautiful descriptions.